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Can Anyone Beat Daniela Ryf?

CHATTANOOGA, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Daniela Ryf of Switzerland celebrates as she wins the IRONMAN 70.3 Women's World Championship on September 9, 2017 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The defending IRONMAN 70.3 world champion seems simply unstoppable.

by Volker Boch

The women's pro race at the Isuzu IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship on Saturday guarantees a thrilling battle from start to finish. But will anyone be able to beat the three-time champion Daniela Ryf?

We're now six weeks out of from the IRONMAN World Championship, and Saturday's race at Nelson Mandela Bay will give us a look at how fast Ryf might be in Kona come October 13th. After a long and tough 2017 season, the "Angry Bird" took a longer rest in the winter and returned back to racing much stronger. After turning 31 in May, Ryf dominated IRONMAN 70.3 Switzerland for the fifth time. It was no surprise to see her flying away with the women’s race, but what was really remarkable was how she raced through the pro men's field. Only six men crossed the finish line in front of the storming local hero, and Ryf clocked the fifth-best run split overall (1:19:56).

Two months later, Ryf set a new IRONMAN 70.3 world record (3:57:54) in Gdynia, Poland. Then in July, she set a new course best at the Mainova IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt (8:38:44), lowering the standard by nine minutes (with a longer, 114-mile bike ride). Building on that momentum, Ryf definitely seems to be on track for the 2018 world championship double in Port Elizabeth and Kona.

Ryf's recent dominance on the bike is simply breathtaking, especially considering that her bike performances don't seem to hinder her run speed. She appears to benefit from a much stronger volume of training compared to past years, and there has not been a single moment this season when Ryf looked vulnerable. She's consistently maintains both focus and speed until she crosses the line in every race. No question, the Swiss seems to be in the best shape of her life.

While it will be very hard to outrace the defending champion in Port Elizabeth, the women’s race could see a spectacular run battle. Ryf will very likely be the leader coming off the bike, but the field includes some extraordinary runners who could shake things up.

Sarah True had a brilliant rookie marathon to take second in Frankfurt, and she is hungry for more after missing the podium in fourth place at her first IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship last year. Brit Emma Pallant, who was second last year in Chattanooga, is a great runner, as is Aussie Ellie Salthouse. The 25-year-old Salthouse comes to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship with an impressive victory at the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder, where she put the hammer down both on the bike and run. She could be someone to team up with British super swimmer Lucy Charles and Ryf on the bike. Germany’s Anne Haug is the fastest runner in the field, and will be looking to storm to the front on the run. If Haug is too far away from the front in T2—like she was in Frankfurt due to an early flat on the bike—it will be tough for her to run her way onto the podium. The hometown hero, South African Jeanni Seymour, is another one to watch, as is the dark horse from Switzerland, Immogen Simmonds, who finished second to Ryf in Switzerland. Canadian Heather Wurtele brings a wealth of IRONMAN 70.3 experience to the start line on Saturday, which always makes her podium contender material.

Still, it's hard to imagine anyone getting in the way of Daniela Ryf's mission for four IRONMAN 70.3 world titles.